19 February 2014

Women of Aviation Week - Girls Fly-Day Volunteers Needed

from The Rockcliffe Flying Club

For the second consecutive year, the Rockcliffe Flying Club in collaboration with the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Ninety-Nines (the international organization of women pilots) will participate in Women of Aviation Worldwide Week from 3-9 March 2014.

This event started in Canada as a grass roots effort to recognize the 100th anniversary of the first woman to obtain a pilot's licence. It has grown significantly in the past few years and now events are held throughout Canada, the US and in many other countries. Last year, the first year RFC participated, we flew over 150 enthusiastic girls and women and won the title of First Runner Up as the most Female Friendly Flight Training Centre in the World!

This year, amongst other activities, we plan to hold a Fly Day on Saturday 8 March 2014 to introduce young girls and women who have never flown in a light aircraft to the joys of aviation. This year's theme is to celebrate 100 years since the first woman learned aerobatics.

8 March 2014

Girls Fly Day Volunteers Needed

  • Registration Desk: 4 Volunteers per shift
  • Boarders: 6 Volunteers per shift
  • Marshals: 6 Volunteers per shift
  • Shifts: You can volunteer for more than one shift if you would like.

Hours: Saturday 8 March 2014

  • 0830 – 1100 hrs
  • 1100 – 1300 hrs
  • 1300 – 1500 hrs
  • 1500 – 1700 hrs

Sunday 9 March 2014 (Rain Date)

  • 0830 – 1100 hrs
  • 1100 – 1300 hrs
  • 1300 – 1500 hrs
  • 1500 – 1700 hrs

We need to fill these shifts just in case Saturday is weathered out.

Coordinating instructions

Please RSVP Brenda if you would like to sign-up for one or more of the above shifts.

There will be a meeting for the volunteer pilots and all other volunteers on 6 March 2014 at 1900 hrs.

Thank you for your support!

Ottawa’s Macdonald Cartier Int’l Airport NOISE

cyow

I represent private flyers on CYOW’s Noise Management Committee. The Committee was to have had a meeting today to summarize Noise complaints from 2013 and to outline how the resurfacing of runway 14-32 will impact noise this summer.

With only runways 07-25 and 04-22 active from May until September one would expect communities east or west of the airport to show some interest in how they might be impacted and what measures the Airport and flyers will take to mitigate potential noise on them. Well I am wrong! In fact, none of the community representatives indicated they wanted to attend the meeting and it was cancelled. (Only the airport authority, COPA Flight 8 and Nav Canada indicated they would attend the meeting.)

Aircraft movements dropped to 125,269 over 2013. That’s down from a high of 134,632 in 2011. In 2013 for every 1000 movements there were .61 complaints. The complaints per 1000 movements has ranged from a low of .42 in 2009 to a high of .61 in 2011 and 2013 with an average of .52 per 1000 movements.

Surprisingly, Cessna as a type generate more complaints than most other airliners, military airplanes and helicopters. The airport reports they had 76 complaints in 2013. There were 24 complaints about Cessnas in 2013 versus 8 for B737, 5 for B767, 1 for Airbus. Most complaints come from the South-West (17), North- West (27) and North-East (21) of the airport. All Cessnas are grouped together so one does not know if we are talking about Citations or C150s, but I suspect the Cessnas  are predominately C150s and C172s used in flight training. As in the past it is light aircraft doing circuits and transiting to the practice area that stimulate many complaints. It is my understanding that the airport and the flight training operators have agreed to flight paths that mitigate noise complaints but it appears the pilots are not getting the message. Are we our own worst enemies?

It is expected that Runway 14-32 will be closed from mid-May to late-September. This will clearly concentrate aircraft movements on flight paths associated with runway 07-25 and potentially increase noise on its approach and departure paths, and on downwind and base legs over Manotick, Orleans and Barrhaven. Surprisingly these communities felt no need to attend the noise meeting. The Airport Authority is doing its best to be a good neighbour. One must wonder about how its neighbours are reacting?

The Airport Authority will advise local media and city politicians when the runway will close. When they resurfaced 07-25 in 2012 the change in flight patterns immediately stimulated more noise complaints. This seems likely this time too.

I am confident we Private flyers will do our part mitigate our noise impacts on our neighbours, friends and families.

Don’t hesitate to comment on any postings on this blog.

18 February 2014

GPS Jamming Simulation exercise in Petawawa 6 March 2014

By Marcel Pinon, Manager, Level of Service and Aeronautical Studies, Nav Canada

It has just come to my attention that DND is planning to conduct a low power GPS jamming exercise at Petawawa, ON 6 March 2014.

A NOTAM will be issued that GNSS navigation might be affected on March 6, 2014, between 0900-1600 EDT (1300-2000 UTC).

The terrain will definitely play a role to the extent of the affected, we assume that the intermittent loss of signal may be experienced within the entire cylinder centered at N45°59'4.8” W77°20'40” with a radius of 25 NM up to 39,000 ft. AGL.

12 February 2014

Stick A Fork In It - The Cessna 162 Skycatcher is Done

The news came this week that the Cessna will not sell any more model 162 Skycatchers. The 162's official webpage was taken down. The 80 unsold aircraft in inventory will be held for parts for the existing fleet, which currently stands at 275 aircraft. That tally includes the 80, meaning that there are 195 in the flying fleet.

After the most recent news the demise of the 162 was no surprise. In fact, for people who followed the story from the start, most will wonder how the aircraft stayed in production for as long as it did, from December 2009 to December 2013.

The 162 had a tortured development from the start. Its design phase saw the Rotax 912ULS engine that would have ensured a good payload replaced with the Continental O-200D, which put it over weight and gave it higher fuel consumption. The aircraft not only lacked full-fuel payload, but it lacked the ability to carry taller pilots and people who could easily get into a Cessna 150 couldn't fit in the diminutive 162 cockpit. The cockpit actually has room for the seats to be moved back, they just didn't do it, presumably for C of G reasons. There were two prototype crashes, both during spin testing that required design changes, some of the changes involved post-production modifications to the early production examples. Then there was the highly unpopular decision to have the aircraft built in China with final assembly in Kansas.

The initial price was supposed to be under US$100,000, but it quickly rose to its final mark of US$149,000. Cessna has not said, but my guess is, with all the trans-Pacific freight and two assembly lines to produce each aircraft, that they were still losing money on each one built. Why else quit making them? It is amazing that companies like Zenair can build and sell a comparable aircraft, the Zenair 650 LSA, for US$129,900 and presumably make money doing it. Big companies with tons of experience building and selling aircraft, like Cessna, should be able to do it more efficiently and for less. They had 1,200 orders for this plane, after all and that has to produce some economies of scale. Companies like Zenair are essentially building to order on an individual basis, but then perhaps "cottage industry" scale is the cheapest way to build small planes.

Then there was the much maligned choice of names, Skycatcher, sometimes written as "SkyCatcher". The choice of the marketing department, it did sound like it would fly formation with famous Cessna names like Skyhawk, Skylane and Skywagon, but it didn't. It started out snickeringly as "Skysnatcher" (or worse) and then, after the first two prototype accidents, as "Skycrasher". Perhaps they should have held a competition and let the buyers choose a name for it?

There were so many missteps in the short history of this little aircraft it is hard to believe that the development was carried out by the company that has produced more light aircraft than any other company in history.

Ironically I hope Cessna decides to sell the rights to the 162, because I think if the price was right that someone would actually buy it. I think with a bit of redesign work to lighten the airframe up, fit a lighter and more efficient engine, like the new Rotax 912 iS with its direct fuel injection and electronic engine management unit, which would allow carrying less fuel and more people for the same speed and range, as well as fix the ergonomics, you could have a real winner in a 162B model. Just name it something better, like "Sparrowhawk".

External links

11 February 2014

Moe's Fly-in 2014!

Moe's Fly-in on the Ottawa River is coming up soon!

Here are the details:

  • Date: Saturday 22 February 2014
  • Time: Starts at 1000 hrs and runs all day
  • Location: on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, 1 mile west of the Ottawa VOR.
  • Coordinates: 45°26'57" N, 75°55'48
  • Runway: Runways 34 & 16, 3500' x l00'
  • Frequencies: ground 122.75 MHz, air 123.20 MHz.
  • Notes: Ski landing recommended. Weather permitting, a runway will be ploughed, "landing is at your own risk."
  • Information: Maurice Prudhomme 819-682-5273

06 February 2014

Amendments to Aeronautics Act, Regulations - Requirement to Consult on Aerodrome construction

by Kevin Psutka
President and CEO, Canadian Owners And Pilots Association

I attended a conference yesterday at which Transport Canada (TC) officials explained their rationale for wanting to proceed with amending the Aeronautics Act and regulations to require consultation on all aerodrome creation and construction. There were many representatives of Associations plus other individuals who attended by telephone and TC reported that 15 written responses were received. I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to make your concerns known. I believe we got TC's attention to the enormity of this issue because by the end of the meeting TC agreed to review the way forward.

Industry representatives did a great job of highlighting the need for a focus group to thoroughly investigate the implications of this issue but we need to drive this point home as TC considers the way forward. TC said that "only" 15 responses have been received and they want more input. I realize that many of the submissions were from organizations that represent thousands of people but TC views 15 responses as relatively low.

TC has extended the comment period until 14 February to provide comment and I ask everyone to fan this message out to your contacts and encourage them to review my article on the subject and then provide input to CARRAC@tc.gc.ca before 14 February 2014.

TC admitted yesterday that the collective discussion that the conference had value and brought some points forward that they had not seen or missed in the written submissions. Now is the time to drive the point home that a focus group is needed. Please fan this message out to your contacts and if you have not yet provided comments, please do so.

05 February 2014

Eastern Ontario Pilots Association Seek Past Bonspiel Participants

Hebb Russell of the Eastern Ontario Pilots Assoc (EOPA) is trying to contact all previous participants in their charity curling bonspiel.

Due to people changing their email addresses the association has lost contact with many past particiapnts, so if you curled with them before and haven't had an invitation to this year's bonspeil then please write to Hebb at eopa.email@gmail.com to be added to their email list.

02 February 2014

Kars 10th Annual Ski Fly-in Coming Up!

The Kars Winter Ski Fly-in is coming up soon! The event is organized by RAA Ottawa-Rideau Chapter 4928.

Chapter president Victor Thompson notes: "The Winter Ski Fly-in as usual will be a pot luck affair and the group will be accepting donations for the meal. The Kars Air Park is not plowed but aircraft equipped with skis in the past have landed and all have had a great time. Hoping for mild weather and blue skies!"

Details

  • Event: Kars RAA Chapter 4928 10th Annual Ski Fly-In
  • Date: 01 March 2014
  • Time: Lunch served 1100-1400 hrs at the clubhouse
  • Location: Kars Rideau Valley Airpark (CPL3), 45°06′N 075°38′, RWY 26/08
  • Comunications: 123.4 MHz
  • Who: The public is welcome
  • Driving directions: Dilworth Road just east of Hwy 416
  • More information: email Larry Rowan
  • To check on field conditions 24 hours prior Call Larry Rowan at 613-489-2332